Sunday, 12 October 2014

VISAKHAPATNAM: As Cyclone Hudhud hurtles towards Vizag, the hostile weather conditions have forced crucial establishments such as Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT), Vizag Airport and Hindustan Shipyard Limited to suspend all operations temporarily. The authorities are on a 'wait and watch' mode and much will depend on how the situation unfolds after Hudhud makes landfall, they added.

VPT sources told TOI that all operations at the major port have been suspended till further notice and nobody is being allowed to enter the operational areas of the port, including the inner and outer harbours.

"A majority of the temporary structures such as sheds and warehouses have been badly damaged due to squally winds," a source from VPT said, adding that all the drain channels have been cleared so that water stagnation does not occur at the port.

This apart, operations have come to a grinding halt at the Visakhapatnam airport due to very low visibility, which stands at around 200 meters now. "Measures have been taken to avoid inundation of the airport," a source at the airport said.

At the same time, operations have come to a standstill at the privately run Gangavaram port too. According to sources at Gangavaram port, all operations were suspended from Saturday evening as a precautionary measure. A decision on operations will be taken only after monitoring the situation the cyclone makes landfall in the next couple of hours, sources added.

Sources at Hindustan Shipyard too have been temporarily suspended. An HSL official told TOI that though while there has been no damage to equipment, the approach road to the shipyard has been completely blocked due to the uprooting of trees. "As of now, the emergency crew is at standby at the shipyard," he added.